Building a Resistance
by ZoologyKaM
Summary: With the installment of two new Irken leaders the Empire has turned on their once great allies of Vort. Lard Nar was a young Staff Sergeant in the Planetary Defense Force when he watched his planet fall to the Armada. He abandons his home to try and find allies on other planets, hoping it's not too late to save his world.
1. Flight

_Welcome to my third Multi-chapter Invader Zim Fan Fiction! There will be some OCs that appear in 'Return to Irk' because this story is sort of a prequal, occuring during the time that Zim was working to take over the earth. Hope you Enjoy and Now I am proud to present 'Building a Resistance' !_

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**Chapter 1 - The Flight**

"Sir! The Irkens are getting closer!" Lard Nar ran behind his superior officer. The sound of explosions and screams filled the air around them. They turned down a side street taking a short-cut to a private hanger.

The Irkens used to be their allies, but no longer. Slowly over the past year the government was being taken apart from the inside by an Irken invader. Then a few hours ago the main fleet of the Irken armada arrived at Vort and demanded their surrender. Vort of course refused. The planet was now a battlefield.

"This way," Nye, Lard Nar's commander, said. They went down a few more streets, ducked behind a few corners and somehow managed to avoid being spotted. The space hanger was just ahead. "Almost there. Let's hurry."

"Wait," Lard Nar stopped and listened. "Do you hear that?"

"Nar we don't have time."

"I know but listen. It sounds like a child crying." He looked pleadingly at his Commander. "We can't just abandon a child." He turned off and started heading for the sound but he was stopped by a grip on his wrist.

"I know it hurts after you just lost your family, but we don't have time. Vort will fall. We have to get away if there is to be any hope of reclaiming our planet."

Lard Nar shook his arm free. He never disobeyed orders but he couldn't make himself abandon someone he could help. "Go on ahead. If I'm not there in 20 minutes then leave without me." And he turned and hurried off.

The sounds of explosions were a little farther off, as the Vortian climbed over the crumbled wall into a small home. The crying was inside just through the next door. When he walked into what was once a kitchen he saw a small girl kneeling in front of a broken wall.

"Hey there little one." He walked slowly over to the child trying not to scare her. "Are you alone?" He picked her up in his arms; her body shaking in her tears. "What's your name sweetie?"

She calmed down long enough to say her name through her sobs, "Kark."

"Hey, there Kark. Are your parents here?" She started crying again and pointed to the collapsed kitchen wall. It was then that he noticed a hand sticking out from under the rubble. He held the child tight and hurried out of the house as the pool of blood grew.

He carried the child all the way to the hanger. She had stopped crying, or at least had done so more softly. As young as she was she knew that noise would get them caught. Once inside the hanger, Lard Nar put the child down and held her hand as they both hurried along. They came into a room with a small number of private flight ships, big enough for 3-4 individuals.

"Nye! You here?" Lard Nar called into the room. Kark squeezed Lard Nar's hand as several explosions sounded not far from the hanger.

"Over here!" Lard Nar and Kark hurried over to the ship that Nye had been getting ready. "About time you got here. The Irkens are getting closer. Strap the kid in we need to go Now." Lard Nar nodded and took Kark into the ship. He strapped her into a seat and went back out to help Nye with the final checks.

The door to the hanger was blasted off its hinges. Irken soldiers streamed into the room and opened fire on the Vortians. Nye whipped out his laser and returned fire.

"Get us out of here!" he yelled. Lard Nar turned and ran to the controls and started to take off. A well-aimed shot from an Irken blaster blasted Nye away from the ship. Nye cried out in pain as a shard of metal sliced into his leg. Lard Nar jumped up to return for his Commander.

"GO!" Nye yelled at him with all the force he could, and as a true soldier should, Lard Nar didn't hesitate to obey this order. He swung himself back into the pilot's seat and hit the throttle hard. A soldier in the fleet saw the Vortian cruiser attempting to escape. The Irken turned to go after it but he was ordered back by his Commander. What does one little ship matter?

Lard Nar kept on at full speed for several hours. He finally slowed when little Kark walked in and pulled him out of his state of shock by hugging onto his arm. As he slowly released the steering controls he saw how his hands were shaking. He swallowed the feeling in his gut and turned to comfort the child.

Neither of them spoke for some time. There was nothing to say. They both knew, as the cruiser pulled them farther away, that they may never get to see their home again.

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_Well how was it? Leave a comment if I should hurry for the next chapter. Otherwise I've already got 3 stories in progress so I don't know when the next chapter will come._


	2. Bracklenut Promise

_**A/N:**__ Kind of a short chapter sorry. As I was writing it I realized it could have been part of the first chapter because it would end up making the 3rd chapter really long. The third chapter will probably be out soon. If you don't die of Kark's cuteness first._

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**Chapter 2 – Bracklenut Promise**

It was the middle of the night back on Vort. Lard Nar blearily opened his eyes then sat straight up realizing he must have fallen asleep. He checked all the controls to find their location. As he did so he turned and saw Kark curled up with a blanket in the corner. He smiled as he got up and gently lifted up the child. She stirred in his arms but didn't wake.

The former Staff Sergeant's heart nearly broke as he saw tears leaking from the corner of the child's eyes. She was shaking in the midst of a nightmare. Lard Nar carried her back to the beds in the back of the ship. He tucked her in and sat on the side of the bed for a while, just thinking.

The plan had been to leave with Commander Nye who had contacts all over the universe. Lard Nar was just a low level officer. He hadn't even been outside the galaxy. _How am I supposed to do this alone?_ He clenched his fists as he thought this. A small hand rested on top of his. He looked to see Kark staring at him with a worried expression. He smiled at the child.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

Kark shook her head. She climbed out of the bed and ran over to the food storage compartment and started digging through it. Lard Nar laughed as he realized she must be hungry. He went over to help her but when she saw him next to her she took his hand and led him back to the bed. He gave her a confused, but also slightly amused look, and stayed put.

Kark dug through the food storage until she found what she was looking for. She pulled out a jar of bracklenut butter. She scooped out a large spoonful, ate it then brought a second spoonful to Lard Nar. He laughed as he took and ate it.

"Thank you very much." He said smiling at her. "Do you like Bracklenuts?"

Kark looked up at him and shook her head. "Momma says Bracklenut butter makes you strong." She told him. "If we get strong we can stop the bad guys." Kark smiled up at Lard Nar. All the pent up tension inside him released at once. _That's right. I'm not alone._ Kark looked up at him, wondering why he started crying. He smiled down at her.

"We're going to need a lot more than bracklenut butter if we want to win," he said. Kark's expression saddened. Lard Nar stood up and lifted the child up in his arms. Holding her close, he said, "But we're still going to beat them. Right?" Kark grew wide-eyed with excitement.

"Yeah!" She said raising her hands up cheering them on. "We can do it! Big brother is strong and I'm here to help to!" Lard Nar laughed at his new title. He looked around their living quarters.

"Well Big Brother is hungry. What do you think? Shall we have breakfast?" Kark nodded and squirmed out of his arms to start pulling food out. She even let Lard Nar help this time. They talked and laughed as they ate, but Kark still noticed that in a few of the moments of silence, her Big Brother's eyes would glance toward the back of the ship, as if he was trying to look through the metal to see his home planet.


	3. Spongy Goodness

_**A/N:**__I'm sorry... Kark is so cute. This chapter is just building their relationship. Sorry my stories seem to get moving so slowly._

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**Chapter 3 – Spongy Goodness**

They had been on the ship for a few weeks. The ship was flying in the space between galaxies. With the Irkens inhabiting the same galaxy as Vort there might not be any safe planets there. The first priority was to get supplies and possibly alert another galaxy to the danger. Hopefully they would be able to find a race that was capable of feeling some measure of sympathy.

The clocks on the ship were set to match their home planet and it was lunch time. Kark was telling a story about a beetldorf she caught once, when she noticed Lard Nar spacing out again. She used the back of her fork to poke the side of his face, careful to avoid his eye. He sat up and looked at her.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

"How much longer till we get there?"

Lard Nar rested his head on his hand. "It will be at least two more days before we get to the next galaxy. Then we have to actually find an inhabited planet." Kark stared intensely at her food. Lard Nar sat up again, "Don't worry I'm sure it won't take too long." She gave a solemn nod. She then scarfed down her food and jumped up from the table.

"Can you teach me some more now?"

Lard Nar laughed. "You've got food all over your face. Clean up first then we can talk." Kark smiled and ran off to tidy up.

On the third day of their flight, Kark had asked Lard Nar to teach her about the cruiser. He had agreed seeing it as a way to keep them both from getting bored, but he was amazed to find that Kark understood nearly everything he told her. The child was a genius. Just a few days ago she had run into the cabin and woken him up saying that 'the ship was going faster,' which made no sense because Lard Nar had already set auto-pilot as fast as it could go without over-heating. But sure enough, when he checked the controls they were moving nearly double their previous speed with not even a single degree increase of strain on the engines.

When he asked her how she did it she excitedly showed him the back compartment of the ship, which allowed access to the engines from the inside. Masses of wires, tools, and spare parts were lying every which way. The tiny Vortian had reworked almost half the motor system in ways that even the most advanced engineers would never have thought of.

Since then he had been teaching her a variety of different things. He taught her military survival techniques all the way up to basic physics equations that would help her understand what she had done to the engine. It didn't matter what it was, she absorbed everything like a sponge.

"I'm done!" Kark ran over to show off the writing tablet with the math problems he had given her. Lard Nar spent a few minutes checking over everything.

"Good work. You're getting really fast. I don't think there's much left that I can teach in math." He handed her back the tablet. "Can you think of something you want to learn next?" Kark stood and thought for a moment.

"What was that stuff you were looking at yesterday?"

"Stuff?"

Kark ran over and climbed up onto his lap looking at the ships controls. She pressed a few buttons for the computer's search history. "This stuff," She said pointing at the squiggles on the screen. Lard Nar turned to look at the screen. Displayed were some reports from the Screw Heads that had been sent out asking for help against the Irken Empire.

"But these are just reports."

"Reports on what?" Kark asked, staring at the screen.

"It's from a planet that the Irkens are also attacking." He watched as Kark's eyes moved over the writing. It took him a moment to realize that she would be too young to have had an audio-visual translator installed. "Oh you want to learn to read it?" Kark smiled and nodded.

_Ok so how am I going to teach this?_ Lard Nar wondered. He didn't know how to read this stuff himself. Normally when a Vort child reached 5 years in age they would have a translator installed into their brain. These translators would work for the Vortians entire lifespan. It took the visual or audio signals from their sensory organs and translated the languages into the Vort language for the brain to receive. It was a very efficient system since children weren't typically allowed off planet.

Kark stared at him with excited anticipation. "Well…" He scratched his head, looking at the screen. He knew he was reading something else but the translator made him see it all in Vortian. His brain wasn't seeing the same thing that Kark was. "Maybe we should do something else..?" He asked.

"How come?" Kark asked.

Lard Nar thought about how to answer this. "Did anyone ever talk to you about a translator?" He asked. Kark shook her head. Lard Nar sighed. If she had never even been told about the operation it means she wasn't even 4 years old yet. _Poor kid, lost her family and got dragged into all this by me._ Then again it was better that she was here than back on Vort.

"If all this stuff hadn't happened, you would have been told about a procedure you'd have when you turned 5." She gave him a confused look as he continued, "the reason I can't teach you to read this is because I have a translator that changes what I'm seeing before it gets to my brain. So I don't really see the same writing you do. Do you understand?"

Kark looked down then slowly nodded. She got up and went to grab her writing tablet. They spent the next few hours doing more math problems before Lard Nar decided it was time for dinner. While he pulled out food he noticed Kark back at the computer looking at the Screw Heads report again. He decided he would have to find some way to teach her languages. After all, they would be coming and going from alien planets for the foreseeable future.


	4. Planet of the Cones

**A/N:**_ Pretty cool to see two people telling me to keep going. Sorry the chapters are slow I've got a lot on my mind and a lot of stuff going on. PS Kark is still adorible. I had this chapter half written so I just finished it to relieve some stress. Enjoy._

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**Chapter 4 – Cone Head Planet**

"Are we going to land there?" Kark stood as tall as she could to look out the window at the planet.

"We sure are." Lard Nar smiled as he watched her bounce around excitedly. He was rather excited to though he wouldn't let it show.

"What kind of people live there?" she asked.

"Well let's just see about that." Lard Nar pulled up the planet's data so Kark could see. He'd already looked at it himself several times. It was the planet of the Cone People, or at least that's how they were called on Vort. They were a strange species. Their bodies were nothing more than a floating cone with a face, no limbs of any kind. How they had evolved was a mystery to everyone, including themselves.

"These guys sound funny." Kark said laughing at what she was reading.

"Well just don't say that in front of any of them… and go buckle up. We'll be entering the atmosphere in a minute."

"Okay!" Kark hopped into the co-pilot's seat and strapped herself in.

As they approached the upper atmosphere, the communication panel began blinking that a transmission was in-coming. Lard Nar pressed the button to connect. "This is Vortian cruiser K1412. Go ahead. Over."

"Copy that Vortian Cruiser K1412. This is Traffic Control Tower C4869. We're sending you coordinates for landing platform S054. You are cleared for landing. Over."

"Copy that. Over and out."

"Can we get tebrehs cream when we land?" Kark asked excitedly. Lard Nar laughed.

"First things first. We need to gather supplies, get the ship's engines looked at just in case, then we need to get in contact with the military here. If all goes well then maybe we can celebrate with porsckin cream."

"Aww, okay…" Kark took to staring out the window as they made their way down through the atmosphere. Lard Nar laughed at her fascination with the orange clouds. He had to explain that the air here was different than the air on Vort, which lead Kark on a tirade of new questions.

The docking procedures went smoothly. They exited the ship to find one of the Cone People waiting for them.

"Hello and Welcome! My name is Floogardafis." By the sound of the creatures voice Lard Nar assumed it was a female. "I'm your Planetary Arrival Assistant," she continued. "If you would please follow me we'll get just a bit of paperwork done and have you guys on your way. If you have any questions feel free to ask."

Kark held onto Lard Nar's hand as they followed the floating Cone. They were lead up some stairs into a large building, that was shaped like an eggplant, then over to a desk. Lard Nar and Kark sat in the chairs while Floogardafis went around the desk. A light shone from the gem on her belt and linked with the computer.

"Names please?"

"I am Lard Nar and this is Kark."

"Ok and Planet is Vort right? We haven't heard from Vort in a while. What brings you to our planet today?"

"We require supplies and a council with one of your military commanders." Lard Nar stated. Floogardafis looked up at this.

"Supplies won't be difficult but as for the military that may be rather difficult. There have been a few incidents and multiple government higher-ups are undergoing investigations. I can send in your request but it may take some time."

Lard Nar's brow furrowed. "How long has this been going on? The government issues I mean."

The PAA looked at them thinking it was a strange question. "A couple months. Why?" she regarded him with a serious expression as he told her he might know why but it was imperative that he speak with some military higher-up. She told him she would see what she could do. He left his transmission information with her and took Kark by the hand as they went off to get supplies.

"Ok you said you needed three fuel cells for a Vort cruiser model D41, and what else?" The floating cone shopkeeper nudged a small robot off to grab the items.

"An R3 engine cord for the same model." Lard Nar reminded him.

"An that's right." The shopkeeper cone smiled at him and sent off the robot. "Cute kid you got there." He leaned his head, or the flat end of his cone shape, toward Kark. "It's good to know there are other species out there where the Dad still takes care of the young.

Lard Nar laughed. "It's becoming a rare thing these days."

"Hmf. That's for sure, especially with the increase in Irken influence lately. Now that's a species that has no care for the young. No respect for other species for that matter." The robot helper came back with the parts. Lard Nar paid for them with Vort Credits, of course he failed to mention that Vort Credits were now worthless with the planet's fall. He took the supplies and headed to the door.

"Come on Kark." He called out, laughing when he saw her staring at a Nhar-Gh'ok cruiser power conduit. She was so distracted by the swirling colors that she didn't hear him call. The shopkeeper moved over and leaned down to tell her that her dad was waiting. Little Kark looked up at the floating alien and ran and hid behind Lard Nar's leg.

"She's a shy one, isn't she?" The shopkeeper remarked as he floated back to the counter.

Lard Nar laughed. "Don't take it personally. This is her first time off planet." He bid the kind Cone goodbye and headed out the door, Kark following close.

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_Side note: all those numbers and codes are all significant numbers from my favorite anime Detective Conan. R3 = Ran-san, K1412=Kaito Kid, C4869= Conan's cellphone password (the numbers can be pernounced as Sherlock in japanese), and S054 is Shinichi's birthday May 4th! yes I'm a nerd. Oh and D41 = Detective Shinichi (Shi-Ichi). WOO MEITANTEI CONAN!_


	5. Three-Finger Discount

**Chapter 5 – Window 3-finger Discount Shoping**

"Well now that that's taken care of." Lard Nar turned back to Kark and they headed down the street leaving their ship behind with the mechanic. "I told him to just give it a look over then call me so we can't go too far," he explained to Kark. "What should we do in the meantime?"

They had already stocked up on food supplies and Lard Nar had upgraded a few of his weapons. Now they just had to wait for a chance to meet with some military higher-up. This waiting was what was making Lard Nar nervous. _If my hunch is right, the Irkens are already on this planet. If one of them is in disguise, I have no idea who can be trusted. _

Kark tugged on his arm. "Can we go look at some of the shops?" Lard Nar blinked down at her.

"Was there something you wanted to buy?" he asked. Kark shook her head and stared forward. Lard Nar shrugged. "Well I guess window shopping wouldn't hurt. We just want to avoid spending a ton of money for the reason I already explained to you." He watched the child as something caught her eye. "See something?"

Kark let go of his hand and ran over to a shop window. There on the display was shiny white Vortian Horn band. It was a simple design that wrapped around once then flowed up into three swirls; the largest swirl encircled a simple red gem. Something like this was common place back on Vort. Males and Females wore them for special occasions.

Lard Nar stood by while Kark stared at the band, but after a few minutes he thought it better to move on. He took Kark by the hand and led her away. Kark didn't argue. She was too busy wiping tears from her eyes. That band looked exactly like the one her mom had worn.

They looked around some more of the shops but didn't see anything of interest. At one point they stopped in a weapons shop. When Lard Nar got into a discussion with the shopkeeper, Kark walked around the shop looking at all the weapons. She had seen her dad use a laser before but it didn't look like any of these ones. Most of these were attached to some weird belt.

The thing that really caught her eye was a wall that displayed all different kinds of knives. She thought back on the things that Big Brother Nar had been teaching her; most of the survival plans he had talked about required a knife. _I want to be able to help Big Brother, _she thought as she looked at one knife that was the perfect size for her tiny hands.

A big smile crossed her face as she ran back over to Lard Nar. She tugged on his jumpsuit trying to get his attention; the discussion had heated up. She caught bits and pieces of it but Lard Nar hadn't taught her anything about the weapons systems.

"Hang on a second. Yes Kark? What is it?" He knelt down so he would be on eye-level with her.

"Can we buy something?" She knew that the money they had was no good but maybe they could come back and pay for it later. She got confused at the serious look on his face.

"This is a weapons shop, what could you need from here?"

Kark pointed over to the knives. Lard Nar stood up to go over to look. His eyes widened. He looked from the display case to Kark, his expression softening a bit. Kneeling down he turned to the child, "Knives are dangerous. You're too young to have one of those." He stood up patting her head. "I'll be done here in a minute then we'll go get some tebrehs cream. How's that sound?" He stood up and headed back over to the shopkeeper and didn't see the look on Kark's face.

It was a few minutes before Lard Nar had finished his conversation. Kark was sitting by the door looking bored. He smiled and took her by the hand and the two of them headed out the door. Lard Nar never noticed the tiny bulge underneath the neck cover of Kark's clothing.

They found a tebrehs cream shop less than a block away. Lard Nar went up to order.

"Hey there! Are you Lard Nar!?" They turned around to see a purple cone person with a goofy look on his face standing behind them.

"That's me, and you are?" he looked at the cone, putting his hand comfortingly on Kark's head as she hid behind his leg.

"I'm Private Shloonktapooxis. My superior sent me to get ya." The cone smiled down at Lard Nar and Kark, he was taller than both of them. Kark couldn't understand the cone but she saw Lard Nar relax.

"Oh good. Give me just a moment then you can take us to him." Lard Nar turned back to the Tebrehs Cream Man and paid for a scoop each. He handed Kark her bowl and spoon then turned back to the waiting Cone. "After you."

Shloonktapooxis smiled at them and lead them away.

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_If you don't understand what just happened. Kark decided that if anything were to happen then she would better be able to help Lard Nar and Herself, if she had a knife. She first tried to get Lard Nar to buy it for her but because he was a father, until he lost his family, he feels protective of Kark. He doesn't want her to have something that dangerous. He's still holding the hope that he can keep her Out of dangerous situations. _

_Keep in mind, Kark is a child but she's also a genius. She knows and understands the situation they are in, so she knows that she might be put in danger at some point. She also knows that even though using those useless Vortian Credits is practically the same as stealing, Lard Nar is using them because it is necessary that they have what they need until they can form a good army against the Irkens. _

_Because she knows he's doing what's necessary for the ultimate good she is willing to do the same. Thus she stole the knife without Lard Nar's knowledge because she felt it would be for the best in the end. _


	6. Already here

_**A/N:**__ I've got so many stories going on right now... If you want to see more of this story __**go to my profile and vote **__for it. I will update all of my stories this week then go by order of what receives the most votes on my profile. I need to finish some of these before I start any new ones._

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**Chapter 6 – They're already here…**

"You're telling me there is an Irken here that wants to destroy our government?" The bright blue cone looked skeptically at Lard Nar.

"Look I know it's hard to believe but…"

"You're damn right it's hard to believe. The Irkens have been our allies for nearly as long as Vort has. Do you have any evidence of these wild accusations you're making?"

Lard Nar clenched his hands into fists and swung his arm behind him, as if sweeping the words out of the way, "Is the destruction of my planet enough for you!?" he yelled.

The old Cone sighed, "Look… I'm not saying that you're lying but Vort and Irk have been on edge for several years now; if there's a chance that this event is a war between your planets… I can't really see a reason we should get involved. There hasn't been an Irken diplomat here for over a year. I can't easily believe these things you're saying. I'm sorry."

The Commander truly did look sorry that he couldn't help. Lard Nar stared in disbelief. Everything that was happening on this planet was exactly the same as what had happened on Vort, however as far as the Cones knew… there was no Irken diplomat on their planet…. But that made no sense.

As Lard Nar sat there trying to think of an explination, the door opened and another cone floated in. The green cone floated over to his commander and whispered something in his ear, glancing occasionally at the Vortian. A serious look overcame the Commander's face. He nodded to the soldier and turned to Lard Nar.

"You said your planet has been attacked?"

Lard Nar glared at him and snarled, "I already told you that! Why do you continue to waste my time?!"

The cone's eyes narrowed. "If Vort were destroyed, being an intelligent soldier and Scientist like you are.. you should understand what that would do to the value of Vortian Credits. Correct?" His voice was like ice. Lard Nar's eyes opened wide; he knew where this was going. The Commander turned to his soldier, "Tell him the same thing you told me."

The Soldier Cone nodded, "Three fuel cells for a Vort cruiser model D41, one R3 Engine Cord, 50 packages of Xlerk Space Rations, one Level 3 Plasma Blaster, and two bowls of Tebrehs Cream. These items were purchased by the Vortian Lard Nar by use of Vortian Credits, coming to a total of 736 Credits." The cone looked over at Lard Nar with a strange expression when he had finished.

As Lard Nar was trying to figure out what it was, the Commander asked, "If a planet's monetary system collapses, then using those credits on an unknowing planet is the same as stealing. Did you know this?"

Lard Nar closed his eyes and nodded. He knew what he had done was wrong. He quickly stood up ready to defend himself but was never given the chance; the Commander continued, "Do you have another means of payment for these items?"

"Well no but…" He was cut off by the Commander's abrupt harsh words.

"Vortian Lard Nar by the laws of Intergalactic Exchange I hereby find you in contempt of statute SA 14-11. You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say…"

"I know my rights you bone headed sorry excuse for a stalactite!" Lard Nar shouted. "You're an idiot if you don't see what's going on! Unhand me!" Another Soldier had come up behind him and put out a force shield from the gem on his belt, restraining the Vortian.

The Commander addressed the green soldier who had come in with the list, "Take him down to lockup. I don't want Vort getting wind of this on the chance that this is all a hoax." The soldier nodded and followed the other soldier out the door.

As they passed through the secretary's office Lard Nar saw Kark looking confused and scared. She started to run over but Shloonktapoxis moved in to block her. He nodded at Lard Nar and glanced down at the child. Lard Nar felt a little less nervous knowing that someone would keep her safe. He just had to figure out how to get himself out of this mess.

The Soldier that had him restrained finally released him when they reached a holding cell and then floated away. Lard Nar walked over and pulled on the bars of his cage checking how secure they were. He was startled to see that the Green Cone was still there. "Can I help you with something?" he snapped annoyingly at the cone.

The green Cone remained silent until he was sure the other soldier was out of earshot. When the door to the prison clanged shut, he turned back to the Vortian prisoner with a smirk on his face, "So you planet is in ruins then? I'm surprised that Larb got done so quickly."

Lard Nar's eyes grew wide. He took a closer look at the cone. His body looked the same as all the other cones but his face was different. His eyes were disproportionately large compared to others. And his smile… his teeth were more rounded … almost like an…

"Irken…" Lard Nar spoke in a shocked whisper. The Cone's evil smile grew across his face.

"About time you figured it out, you Vortians always were one of the smarter races. Too bad no one will believe you now. It was stupid to go and break a law on this planet, these idiot cones may be peaceful but that's only because they have no tolerance for those that break their rules."

Lard Nar jumped against the bars holding with his hands and standing against them with his feet he held himself up at the disguised Irken's eye level. "Vile-Traitorous-Goo-Sack! What is your planet planning by attacking its allies!?"

"Hmf, allies?" the Irken scoffed. "We haven't called you that since the day your people MURDERED Almighty Tallest Miyuki! We should never have even allowed filth like you to even exist."

"What happened to Tallest Miyuki was..!"

"SILENCE! Enough of your lies; you will die here the last free Vortian, and I will get the honor of telling my Tallests of your death."

"Wait!" Lard Nar yelled out as the Irken turned and floated away, but the irken did not look back; his psychotic laugh echoing down the hall.

Lard Nar's mind raced furiously through what he had just learned. The Irkens had always believed themselves to be superior to other species, but it was the unfortunate death of their Almighty Tallest that had caused the breaking point. The fools didn't even know that her death was due to one of their own….

He smashed his fist to the wall ignoring the throbbing pain from doing so. There would be no allies from this planet… Now it was imperative that he find a way to escape, grab Kark, and get away from here.

_This planet is already lost…_


	7. Escape Plan

_**A/N:**__ Sorry chapters are slow. I've bitten off more than my braces-expanded-muffin-filth-hole could chew. I've got a lot of ongoing stories as well as a massive pile of homework. Please don't be mad. I'm still working on stories but I'm working more on the ones that get more reviews per chapter and this is low on the list. _

_Leave a review if you want faster chapters cause that's how I'll be working._

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**Chapter 7 – Escape Plan**

"Well how come you had to throw him in jail?" Shloonktapoxis asked.

His Commander stood with his back turned, staring out the window. "He broke intergalactic and planetary laws. What else would I have done with him?"

Shlooktapoxis looked away unsure of how to answer. He had led the two Vortians all the way from the other side of the city and he'd gotten a pretty good read on their personalities. Shloonk knew he wasn't the smartest out there but he was a good judge of character, and he could tell that Lard Nar would only do what he thought was completely necessary.

"Couldn't you just… I dun know… let him off with a warning… or somethin?"

The Commander turned and narrowed his eyes at Shloonk. "For what? To allow him to go back out there and knowingly do it again?"

"No.. but maybe I could pay for what he took… he was just doing what he thought was best for himself and Kark."

"Kark?"

"That vortian child with him…"

"Ah yes… the child… she shall be returned to Vort with the next trade cruiser." Shloonktapoxis stared wide eyed at his commander. "Is it true that she doesn't even have a translator?" The commander asked. Shloonk nodded. "Where is she now?"

He turned to look back at the door. "She's right outside. It took her awhile to stop crying and trying to run after Lard Nar. She's pretty scared. Maybe if we could let her see him…?"

The commander sighed and pressed some buttons on the floor. He spoke to his secretary for a moment before turning back to Shloonktapoxis. "You've spent more time with the child. Do you think that seeing her caretaker in jail is truly the best thing for her?"

Shloonk shrugged, "We can understand her but she can't understand us. I think if he could explain things to her she might not be so afraid." The Commander nodded but didn't respond. "So I'll just take her down there then."

Private Shlooktapoxis left the room and was immediately bombarded by the child Kark with a mass of questions that they both knew she wouldn't understand even if he answered them. He winced inwardly when he saw the tear stains around her eyes. _She's just a child. What's she even doing so far from home? _He had to wonder to himself. He bent down to look her in the eyes and smiled gently.

"Want to go see Lard Nar?" He knew she didn't understand the other parts but Names sounded the same no matter what language they were in. Kark smiled when she heard her 'big brother's' name. Shloonktapoxis smiled and led the way down to the prison ward.

"Curse it all!" Lard Nar threw himself against the bars of his cage again… but it was no use. If this jail were secured with force shields he could probably crack open a panel and mess with some wires, but with it being just bars of hardened plasma, that even his diminutive size couldn't squeeze through, he was very much trapped.

Lard Nar rubbed his shoulder sore from that last attempt. "Well this certainly isn't going to work… I should never have gotten supplies. I should have waited until I could speak with a planetary leader… How could I have been so stupid!?" He cursed and kicked the wall, which was a stupid idea since it only made his foot hurt. "Great… Now I'm an idiot and a cripple."

The clang of the prison's main doors echoed down the hallway. Lard Nar quietly reached behind him to the broken shards from the mirror in the back he had smashed an hour ago. If that irken were to come back, Lard Nar was determined that it would not leave alive.

He stood in the shadow of his cell, watching as a cone shaped shadow moved ever closer. He jumped, startled, when Kark ran full force into the bars "Big brother! What are you doing in here!? What's going on? Why did they take you away?" He set the glass shard down and went to the bars to comfort her.

"I'm sorry. Don't be scared. We're going to get out of here. I promise."

"Umm actually that might not be so easy." Shloonktapoxis said from behind Kark. Lard Nar looked up and glared at him. For once he wished there was no such thing as a universal translator, so that the cones wouldn't know what he was saying to Kark. Shloonktapoxis returned the glare with a stupid smile.

"Do you mind?" Lard Nar snapped at the idiot cone.

Shloonktapoxis shook his head, "Not really," But he didn't move. Lard Nar rolled his eyes. Looking back down at Kark, he lowered his voice.

"How many cones did you see between the main lobby and here?"

Kark looked down, thinking, "17 that were sitting or standing still like guards and 9 that were rushing around." She felt confused when he nodded.

"Do you remember when we were on the ship? You were looking through those old books of mine?" Lard Nar looked at her hoping she would understand what he meant. Kark nodded still looking obfuscated. "Do you remember SP event 1409B?" He watched as Kark's eyes moved as if she was rereading the whole page. Her eyes widened and she looked up at him. Her eyes then moved over to Shloonktapoxis. She pointed at the cone with a questioning look. Lard Nar slowly and subtly shook his head.

Turning back to the cone, Lard Nar asked, "What's going to be done with Kark?" he noted the saddened look on the private's face as he gazed at her.

"She's going to be sent back to Vort… with the next ship." Shloontapoxis hesitated for a moment but then continued to say, "That is… unless you somehow get out of here and the two of you leave before that happens."

Kark looked between Lard Nar's shocked face and the cone's nervous one. She turned back to her Big Brother and whispered, "What'd he say."

Lard Nar debated on how to answer. The Officer Cone had been very friendly and seemed really genuine during the trip through town. He wanted to believe this alien was willing to help them… but what if he was wrong. It would put Kark and himself in even more danger. "Maybe 1409A." he whispered.

Kark held her breath looking hopeful. She made some small signs with her hands as well as some subtle movements with her horns like she'd been taught. Lard Nar smiled and nodded, replying in the same way.

He looked back to the cone again. "Can you take care of her? Though she is afraid of the dark so she might be a little awake tonight." If the cone had meant what he said then he would understand. Which Lard Nar guessed he did by the momentary seriousness on the goofy face.

As the two of them left, Lard Nar leaned back on the wall of his cell.

**Situational Protocol** (SP) **1409** – _What to do if an ally is captured and the rescue team is stranded in hostile territory._  
**Option A**- If an enemy individual can be convinced to assist in escape.

He had never felt so grateful for Kark's above average intelligence. It would be hard for the two of them to communicate but if Shloonktapoxis could figure something out then… with any luck… Lard Nar and Kark would be safely off planet, with a new ally in their fight against the Irkens, before anyone even noticed they were gone.


	8. Second Escape

_**A/N: **__As an apology for taking so long to post this chapter, I made it extra long! No actually that's just the way it ended up. Sorry, I know I'm taking forever but I have a lot of ongoing stories and this isn't often reviewed so I really don't know if people are waiting for the next chapter. _

_I'm done with school but I'm starting a full time job soon. I'll try to write more but I'm getting distracted with other stuff. Leave a review if you're desperate and I'll try and go faster but I can't guarantee it. Again I'm sorry! Love you guys!_

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**Chapter 8 – First Ally Second Escape**

"Big brother!"

Lard Nar bolted up from his sleep. He hadn't even realized he had dozed off. Blinking in the darkness he could just make out Kark's small figure. She ran into the cell and grabbed his arm. It was then that he noticed that the bars were gone. Kark gave another swift tug on his arm; he stood quickly and followed her.

Kark ran straight past the guard station, causing Lard Nar to do a double-take. "What happened to the guards?" he whispered.

"They're a bit preoccupied." She hesitated as they peaked around the corner. The cost was clear and Kark signaled him forward as if she were a trained soldier. They ran down the hallway at full speed.

Lard Nar looked at her, dubious. "With what?" Kark didn't respond but made a sudden turn. Caught off guard, Lard Nar slid right past the hallway. He skid to a stop and hurried after her. "Okay then… So what's the plan?" Kark made another hard turn but this time he was ready.

"Shloonk is getting a ship ready." Lard Nar nodded. It was good to hear someone was on their side. They stopped at a doorway. Kark pressed her audio receptors against the cold metal.

"Have you heard anything about the Irkens?"

Kark looked up at him, confused. "The ones that invaded our planet? No… why?" The child's eyes opened wide with understanding. "They're here!?" She asked louder than was safe, earning her a hissed shoosh. She clamped her hand over her mouth, glancing nervously towards the door. She looked back at Lard Nar questioningly. He nodded and pressed against the door to listen. "But how can they be here?"

"They've been here. Some of the Cones I've talked to mentioned government problems. It was an Irken disguised as a Cone that turned us in for the theft."

Kark jumped, "THEFT? WHAT THEFT!?" Lard Nar 'shooshed' her again. "…sorry." In a softer voice she asked, "what theft?" Lard Nar shook his head, waving it off till later. There was no sound so he slid the door open a crack. Seeing no one, he and Kark slipped inside.

XXX

"I'm here to relieve you for the night."

The disguised invader looked over to the cone that had just entered the room. He sneered behind his mask. He rose from his chair and floated away, his lip curled at the disgusting stench of the alien. He hated being forced to remain among such a weak species. _'It will all be worth it soon enough.' _ He reminded himself. His task was nearly complete. Seven of the 20 highest ranking government officials were already on trial for something. Something that HE had fabricated of course. With this new one that had locked up the Vortian, there would be enough gaps in the higher-ups that the planet would never be able to respond to the armada in a timely fashion.

"You see that?"

The invader turned to look back at the screens. The soldier who had relieved him was rewinding one of the screens. They were shocked to see two small shapes run across the screen. "What was it?" The cone rewound and paused the video. The invader's eyes opened wide as the screen displayed the escaped Vortians. "That's the prisoner! We gotta report this qui-" The cone fell to the floor with a thud.

The invader stood over the cone's body, a laser suspended over his head by a robotic arm from his ID PAK. He glared up at the Vortian on the screen. His hands clenched into fists as he turned to step back into the floating cone suit. "Those pathetic creatures may have made a fool of Invader Larb but they will not escape from me." Before he climbed back into the suit he turned his laser and blew away the security monitors. No one was going to get in his way. The armada was to arrive in less than a day. Now was not the time for mistakes.

XXX

Kark's arms ached as they crawled along the air vent. She bit down on her lip and forced herself to keep going. Lard Nar was depending on her to lead and she didn't want to let him down. She glanced at the small clock that Mr. Shloonk had given her. Five more minutes until they HAD to be to the hanger.

They crawled over a grate. Kark continued on but Lard Nar stopped to look down at the high activity. Cones were running up and down the hallway below them, far too much going on for so late at night. He tried to listen for clues but there was too much noise. "We're running out of time." Kark said encouraging him to move on. Lard Nar nodded and followed after her.

They exited the vent through a vent on the outer wall. Lard Nar took a literal breath of fresh air, glad to be free of that prison. He looked across the expanse of the military compound. Kark pointed off toward one of the hangers. He nodded and stuck close to the wall as he went to look around. There were soldiers moving around, but it seemed like most of the activity was inside. They waited for a clear opening before setting off at a run. Lard Nar quickly noticed Kark having trouble keeping up so he scooped her up in his arms and ran as fast as his legs would carry him.

"It's times like this that I wish our species was taller," he said. Kark giggled and cheered him on. They crossed the open field in under a minute then pressed themselves against the building, praying they had not been seen. They moved cautiously towards the hanger door.

Inside they saw a number of large ships. Lard Nar winced seeing that none of them were any of the types of ships he knew how to fly.

"Hey! Over Heeyer!" The pair nearly jumped out of their skins. They turned to see Shloonktapoxis next to a mid-sized ship. They ran over to meet with him. Shloonk lead them onto the ship.

Kark stood at the exit hatch looking around while Shlook taught Lard Nar how to fly the ship. She couldn't understand what he was saying so there was no point in trying to listen now. A small screw sat on the ground, and since she was bored, she went over and kicked it. Back inside the ship Lard Nar listened and tried his hardest to remember all the controls.

"Well that's about it. Yew two ought to leave here in a REEL hurry."

Lard Nar nodded and smiled at the cone. "Thank you for your help." He began to reach out to shake hands before he remembered that the cone did not have any hands. "We'll be on our way but first I have to warn you… There is"

"The Irkens right?" Shloonk asked in an uncharacteristically sober voice. Lard Nar nodded. Shloonk looked at the floor. "It's that one Corporal… I could tell there was sumthin fffunny about that guy." Again Lard Nar nodded; he stared at the controls thoughtfully.

"Why don't you come with us?"

Shloonk swayed a little as he shook his head. "I gotta stay for my planet." Lard Nar looked at the cone's face and shared his sadness; they knew there was serious danger coming for the small planet. Shloonktapoxis looked toward the back of the ship. His eyes opened wide.

"Duuhhhh… Where'd Kark go?"

Lard Nar looked back in a panic. He ran to the back of the ship; even as he stepped out of the vessel, he could hear Kark's struggles against an unknown enemy. He rounded the ship but was forced to dodge behind it again when a laser shot came flying at him.

"Pitiful Vortian! You think you can get away? Come out and die like the rest of your people!" The Irken's voice echoed through the hanger. "Come out now and the child can live for long enough to be destroyed by the armada!"

Lard Nar peaked around the ship. He had no shields, no weapons, and the Irken had a fired-up laser pointed at his hostage's head. "What is it you Irkens are after?" he yelled out, hoping that if he could keep the goo-sack talking it would give him time to think of a plan.

"Our rightful rule, what do you think? Now come out!" This invader meant business. He was raised up on his PAK legs holding Kark seven feet off the ground.

"Let Me Go! You Fat Ugly BROCCOLI!" Kark yelled as she struggled ferociously against her captor. The Irken glared at her.

"Stop squirming, dirt monster, or I'll kill you sooner."

Lard Nar leapt out and ran closer before dodging behind another ship. The Irken swore when he realized he had missed his target again.

"YEAHLAHEEEEEEEAAAAAAAOHEAHOEEEE" Shloonktapoxis leapt out from behind the Irken; how he had gotten around them, Lard Nar had no idea. The Irken easily side stepped the cone and countered by knocking him down. Lard Nar closed more of the gap. He was only a few yards away now, close enough to let out a small laugh at Kark's long list of swears and to wonder where she had learned them.

"ENOUGH!" the frustrated invader yelled. "SHOW YOURSELF NOW OR THE CHILD DIES!" Kark closed her eyes as the laser was pressed against her skin; the sound of the laser charging to full blast rung in their earholes.

"Wait!" Lard Nar stepped out from behind the ship. His eyes on the Irken; he still didn't have a plan but he wouldn't let Kark die. The Irken turned the laser to point at him. His eyes darted around looking for anything that could save them.

"AAGH!" Lard Nar looked up to see the Irken's green blood fluid dripping from a wound on his hand. Kark dropped to the floor. The Irken yelled out in pain and stumbled back. Lard Nar wasted no time in grabbing Kark and the dazed cone and running for the ship. Shloonk recovered enough to get himself onto the ship; he then ran straight to the controls and took off.

The Invader closed his fist around the wound, his life-goo squelching through his fingers, watched the vessel race out of the hanger. "No matter. By tomorrow this planet is done for." He stared at the wound before deciding to return to his base for final preparations.


	9. Search and Rescue

Chapter 9 – Search and Rescue

"Do I even want to know where you got this?" Lard Nar stared at the small knife in his hand. As soon as their new ship had reached the only slightly safer vacuum of space, he had demanded Kark show him what she had used to stab the Irken with. It was a fine weapon; a sharp blade and a hand-crafted grip, it would fit perfectly into Kark's smaller hands. Even without asking, he knew where she had stolen it from. When Kark said nothing, he sighed. "Can you at least tell me why?" Still the child refused to answer; she stared at the floor with her face scrunched up in a pout. I'm teaching her some bad habits... Lard Nar folded up the knife and placed it on a nearby shelf.

Shloonktapoxis broke the tension in the room when he floated in carrying a tray on his head. "Hey y'all! I made us some Bagels! Let's eat!"

Kark and Lard Nar exchanged a glance. "What the devil is a bagel?" Lard Nar asked. Shloonk's body bent over as he lowered the tray. Lard Nar took the tray and stared at the bread rings piled onto it.

"I thought this was called a doughnut." He remembered the distinct ring shape from all those times he had dealt with Irkens. Those goo-sacks were always snacking. Shloonk shook his head, which actually shook his whole body since there is no distinct break between the two.

"These are different. Try 'em!"

Kark grabbed one immediately and started eating. She had never seen a doughnut before so she didn't know what to expect in the taste. Lard Nar, however remembered the overly-sweet taste of those fatty-frosting-Irken foods; he hadn't even liked the taste back before Irk had betrayed Vort. He doubted very much that he would like them any better now. "You're sure they're different?" he asked. Shloonk nodded with his trademark goofy smile. After hearing from Kark about 'how good they taste', he finally took one from the tray. It wasn't sticky like a doughnut, and the bread was a bit firmer as well. He sniffed at it and was about to take a bite when a light from the communications control panel caught his eye.

Lard Nar put his bread ring back on the tray and went to the pilot's chair.

"What's wrong?" Shloonk asked floating up behind him.

Lard Nar pressed a few buttons, reading the incoming message. "Looks like a distress signal." He ran a scan of the surrounding space looking to see where the signal had come from. They were not all that far from the Cone planet. Less than an hour flight. He considered for a moment leaving it for the Cones to deal with.

"Is someone in trouble?" Kark looked at the message. To her eyes it was nothing but squiggles. "What's it say?" she asked reminding Lard Nar that she couldn't read the alien language. He hoisted her up onto the chair with him so she could see the screen.

"This," he said pointing to a section of symbols, "is the universal code for when you need emergency immediate help. Make sure you remember that." Kark quickly memorized the shapes of the symbols and nodded; he set her back down on the floor, then looked up at Shloonktapoxis. "What do you think? It could be a trap."

The cone spoke in his occasional serious voice. "It could also be an emergency. My planet is slow to send help for outsiders. Der is a bunch of forms ya gotta fill out," he said with his voice going back to its goofy tone near the end.

Lard Nar touched his hand to his chin, thinking. If we go to help them, we could be walking into a trap. Or worse we could meet someone that wouldn't feel bad about turning us over to the Irkens for a reward. Bounty Hunters were sure to be out after him by now. But what are the odds that anyone would work with those goo-sacks anymore? "Huh..?" He felt a tug on his uniform. Looking down, he saw Kark with a concerned look on her face.

"If someone is hurt… we should help them right?" Her tiny hands gripped the fabric of his uniform; they were shaking.

I can't put her in any more danger… he thought. But she's right. If that ship is in trouble we're probably the only chance they've got. As long as we're in cone space it's unlikely that anyone else would come to their rescue…. What do I do?

Kark didn't wait for him to decide. Lard Nar had taught her just enough about the controls of the Vortian ship for her to figure out the basics of this one. She leapt up, resting her knees on the edge of the controls and reached over to press a few buttons before Lard Nar was able to grab her.

The hooded face of an alien appeared on the screen. Kark couldn't understand what she was saying but Lard Nar and Shloonktapoxis heard it all.

"Mayday! Mayd #$# %# under attack! Irken Voot Runner blast #$# hole in hull. Life Support failin%$# %$#esting Immediate Rescue! Irken is Armed and Dangerous! Repeat! Armed and Dangerous! Please Respond!"

"How long ago was that sent?" Lard Nar yelled over to Shloonk who was checking the radio-wave recovery data from the message.

"5 minutes ago."

Lard Nar nodded. "Strap yourselves down. If there's an Irken around, then this could get rough."

XXX

"Captian! We can't take another hit like that last one!" A technician yelled out but it did no good. His spineless superior officer was curled up in a ball holding himself. Lost in his own panic after the death of his 2nd in command.

With no one to command, the crew began to panic. Only one officer kept her cool.

"Hold steady and keep firing!" Ixane worked desperately to send out another distress call, but the Irken ship was jamming their communications. All that work to escape our own planet, only to be defeated by one lone spittle runner.

XXX

"Over there!" Shloonktapoxis yelled from his spot at the window. Not far off in space, light reflected off the space junk that was once a large fighter class ship.

They entered the debris field gingerly, scanning the remains with both eye and computer. Shloonk floated in front of Kark as they passed some charred bodies that must have been the crew.

"How could a single voot runner do all this?" The cone asked in shock.

"They were probably side blinded. Sneak attack gives you no time to react." Lard Nar said. His face was grim as he ran scans for life forms and residual heat. Not that he expected to find anything.

Leftover radiation masked the surrounding area making it impossible for the scanner to detect living from the dead.

XXX

"Ixane... Please wake up..." Sure he was a coward that had hidden in an escape pod during the attack, but doing so he had been able to save her as the ship imploded. As long as that gash on her head wasn't as serious as it looked then everything would be fine, right?

Nleez smashed at the tiny communications panel. "If you're out there! Please Respond!"

XXX

A low moan escaped the shadows beneath her hood. Ixane opened her eyes a crack only to close them immediately. There appeared to be a horned demon smiling down at her.

"You awake now?"

Ixane realized in an instant that her translator had kicked in. "Vortian?" She opened her eyes again. The Voritan child looked confused.

"Don't move," she told her then ran out of the room.

Less than a minute later, Ixane's least favorite person rushed into the room. When he threw himself to hug her, she grabbed the lip of his hood, pulled it down over his face then shoved him away; all from her seat on the medical bed.

"Nleez! Where the bleet are we?!" She yelled at the crumpled mass on the floor. A laugh came from the door.

"You are in our escaped ship fleeing the Empire." Lard Nar entered the room with Kark on his heels. He walked over and offered his hand, "I am Lard Nar, former officer of the interplanetary relations fleet of Vort. This excitable child is Kark, and the cone that refused to come here is Shloonktapoxis. He doesn't think we should trust you. I'd like to see if you have a reason we should."

Ixane stared up at the Voritan, having trouble thinking of a response due to her throbbing head. Nleez answered for her.

"I know Ixane will want to join your cause as much as I do. Those filthy green goo-sacks have ruined our planet and killed our people... We..." He saw Ixane glaring at him to shut up. "Well I mean... That's if you want to," he told her.

Ixane sighed. "What is he talking about? What 'cause'?"

"You my dear are looking at the beginnings of a resistance against the Irkens." Kark happily piped up that they'd only decided that a few minutes ago. "We're small now but we can't be the only ones out there with the same idea. So what do you say? Care to join us?" Ixane hesitated. "If not, we could always drop you off on a planet we stop at in the future." Still she said nothing.

"If you join we have Bagels!" Kark announced encouragingly.

"What's a bagel?"

Lard Nar was laughing too much to respond. Nleez was laughing as well for some reason. Maybe it was the pain killers or the attitude in the room, but Ixane felt herself relax for the first time in years, and before she knew it, she had joined their little group.


End file.
